Blackheads

Background: As one of the most popular and valuable commercial marine fishes in China and East Asian countries, the Chinese black porgy (Acanthopagrus schlegelii), also known as the blackhead seabream, has some attractive characteristics such as fast growth rate, good meat quality, resistance to diseases, and excellent adaptability to various environments. Furthermore, the black porgy is a good model for investigating sex changes in fish due to its protandrous hermaphroditism. Here, we obtained a high-quality genome assembly of this interesting teleost species and performed a genomic survey on potential genes associated with the sex-change phenomenon...

The flagellate parasite Histomonas meleagridis causes a severe disease in turkeys. Since nitarsone, the last antiflagellate feed additive, was withdrawn from the market, H. meleagridis has gained increasing clinical and economic importance, and frequently entire turkey flocks are lost to the disease. Even before the antiflagellate market withdrawal, H. meleagridis has been recognized as a noteworthy disease in commercial turkeys. The aim of this study was to compile and analyze data on histomoniasis outbreaks diagnosed by the California Animal Health and Food Safety System in the years 2000 through 2014 while nitarsone was still available...

In this study, genetic parameters of nine growth, carcass and meat quality (MQ) traits were estimated and targeted association studies were conducted using mixed models. Phenotypic information was collected on 1599 lambs, including both purebred Merinoland animals and five different F1 crosses. The F1 lambs were produced by mating rams of the meat-type breeds Charollais, Ile de France, German Blackheaded Mutton (Deutsches Schwarzköpfiges Fleischschaf), Suffolk, and Texel with Merinoland ewes. Between four and six sires were used per sire breed...

Very little is understood about genetic mechanisms underlying the onset of spring migration in latitudinal avian migrants. To gain insight into genetic architecture of the hypothalamus and liver tissues of a long-distance migrant, we examined and compared the transcriptome profile of captive night-migratory blackheaded buntings (Emberiza melanocephala) between photoperiodically-induced winter non-migratory (WnM) and spring migratory (SM) life-history states (LHSs) under short and long days, respectively. High-throughput 454 pyrosequenced transcripts were mapped initially with reference to the genome of two phylogenetically close species, Taeniopygia guttata and Ficedula albicollis...

This study investigated whether, in photoperiodic songbirds, the circadian pacemaker system (CPS) connects to the seasonal photoperiodic responses, by changes at transcriptional level in the level and 24-h rhythm of its constituent neurotransmitters. We used black-headed buntings (Emberiza melanocephala), which exhibit distinct seasonal states in captivity under appropriate photoperiods and hence served as a useful model system. Under short days, buntings remain in the photosensitive state (Pse) (winter phenotype: non-migratory, non-breeding)...

Chromoblastomycosis is a neglected and chronic fungal disease, mainly affects the subcutaneous tissue in limbs of people with occupational risk. Here, we report two cases of adult patients from tropical regions of northern Peru, affected with chronic erythematous scaly lesions and multiple blackheads, pain, itching and scarring in older areas of injury. Direct examination of the dermal scales showed typical of this disease fumagoides cells; Fonsecaea pedrosoi and Fonsecaea sp. were isolated for at first and second case respectively...

The secretion of the hormone melatonin reliably reflects environmental light conditions. Among numerous actions, in seasonal breeders, melatonin may regulate the secretion of the gonadotropins acting via its corresponding receptors occurring in the Pars Tuberalis (PT). However, it was previously found that the secretory activity of the pituitary may be dependent on the immune status of the animal. Therefore, this study was designed to determine the role of melatonin in the modulation of luteinizing hormone (LH) secretion from the PT explants collected from saline- and endotoxin-treated ewes in the follicular phase of the oestrous cycle...

Blackhead disease (histomoniasis) currently has no efficacious drug approved for use in poultry in the United States. Both chickens and turkeys can get the disease, but mortality is most often associated with turkeys. The lack of any approved therapies for blackhead is of concern, especially in the case of valuable turkey breeder candidate flocks. Due to the availability of efficacious drugs for many years, research focused on blackhead was minimal. However, without any drugs or reliable additives, blackhead will continue to be an issue in turkeys and broiler breeder chickens...

The circadian rhythms are involved in the photostimulation of seasonal responses in migratory blackheaded buntings. Here, we investigated whether changes in daily levels and rhythm in corticosterone (cort) and insulin secretions were associated with transitions in the photoperiodic seasonal states. Buntings were exposed to short days to maintain the winter (photosensitive) non-migratory state, and to long days for varying durations to induce the premigratory, migratory (shown by migratory restlessness at night, Zugunruhe) and summer non-migratory (photorefractory) states...

Blackhead disease is caused by Histomonas meleagridis, an anaerobic protozoan parasite, and results in mortality rates of up to 100% in turkeys and 30% in chickens. Outbreaks of blackhead disease are unpredictable, and the harvesting of H. meleagridis strains from the field would be a great resource for researchers to study its epidemiology. Therefore, the objective of this study was to develop a dry medium that would allow storage at ambient temperatures until needed. Fifty milliliters of horse serum was dried and then mixed with dry medium M199 with Hanks balanced salts (10...

The aim of the study was to determine the mechanism of action of the 800 nm semiconductor laser on skin blackheads and coarse pores. A total of 24 healthy purebred short-haired male guinea pigs, weighing 350-400 g, were selected and smeared with 0.5 ml coal tar suspension evenly by injector once daily. Treatment was continued for 14 days to form an experimental area of 8×3 cm on the back of the guinea pigs. The animals were divided into the following groups: Normal control group (NC), low-dose laser treatment group (L-LS), high-dose laser treatment group (H-LS), and Q-switched Nd:YAG treatment group (QC)...

Pheromone-based mating disruption has proven to be a powerful pest management tactic in many cropping systems. However, in the cranberry system, a viable mating disruption program does not yet exist. There are commercially available pheromones for several of the major pests of cranberries, including the cranberry fruitworm, Acrobasis vaccinii Riley (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) and blackheaded fireworm, Rhopobota naevana (Hübner) (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae). Previous studies have shown that mating disruption represents a promising approach for R...

This study investigated seasonal alterations in the daily rhythms of hypothalamic expression of genes involved in the photoperiodic regulation of annual cycles in birds. We measured 4-hourly mRNA expression of genes involved in the photoperiodic transduction (OPN5, EYA3, CGA, TSHβ, DIO2, DIO3) and neurosteroid-dependent processes (AR, CYP19, ERα, ERβ) in the hypothalamus of migratory blackheaded buntings photoinduced with photosensitive, photostimulated (early and late stimulated) and photorefractory seasonal states...

The avian circadian pacemaker system is comprised of independent clocks in the retina, pineal and hypothalamus, as shown by daily and circadian oscillations of core clock genes (Per2, Cry1, Bmal1 and Clock) in several birds including migratory blackheaded buntings (Emberiza melanocephala). This study investigated the extra-hypothalamic brain circadian clocks in blackheaded buntings, and measured Per2, Cry1, Cry2, Bmal1 and Clock mRNA expressions at 4h intervals over 24h beginning 1h after light-on in the left and right telencephalon, optic tectum and cerebellum, the brain regions involved in several physiological and cognitive functions...

The cranberry fruitworm (Acrobasis vaccinii Riley), sparganothis fruitworm (Sparganothis sulfureana Clemens), and blackheaded fireworm (Rhopobota naevana Hübner) are historically significant pests of cranberries (Vaccinium macrocarpon Aiton) in the Upper Midwest (Wisconsin), USA. Their respective natural histories are well documented but correlations between developmental benchmarks (e.g., larval eclosion) and degree-day accruals are not yet known. Treatment timings are critical to the optimization of any given control tactic, and degree-day accrual facilitates optimization by quantifying the developmental status of pest populations...

Histomoniasis, commonly referred to as blackhead disease, is a serious threat to the turkey and game bird industries worldwide, and it is having an increasingly negative impact on the chicken industry as well. The Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) Center for Veterinary Medicine (CVM), charged with the approval and regulation of new animal drugs in the United States, understands the rising need for the availability of therapeutic options against histomoniasis. CVM has actively engaged in discussions with the poultry industry, academic institutions, and animal health companies regarding the current status of histomoniasis in the United States and varied success of past and current management, prophylactic, and therapeutic interventions that have been used against the disease...

BACKGROUND: Acne vulgaris is a very common skin problem that presents with blackheads, whiteheads, and inflamed spots. It frequently results in physical scarring and may cause psychological distress. The use of oral and topical treatments can be limited in some people due to ineffectiveness, inconvenience, poor tolerability or side-effects. Some studies have suggested promising results for light therapies. OBJECTIVES: To explore the effects of light treatment of different wavelengths for acne...

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No abstract text is available yet for this article.

Perfluoroalkylated substances (PFASs) present a potential health risk for consumers. In animals these compounds are known to accumulate in livers. In order to determine potential PFASs contamination in commercially available livers, samples from farmed sheep, horses, cows, pigs and chicken were collected from the Dutch market. PFOS was the only detectable PFAS and its concentration was higher in free ranging animals like cows and sheep. The detected levels of PFOS in the liver samples were very low (up to 4...